The late 19th century period piece “Princess Kaiulani” is based on the true story of diplomacy in defense of a nation, and at many times, it comes across as trite. Yet the zeitgeist of the time in which the film is set seemed to hold social triteness in high regard, and if the articles one reads in the newspaper about Hillary Clinton, Colin Powell or other politicians are any indication, so does diplomacy even today.
This film drags and at times is cringingly formulaic, but it at least opens a window on an overlooked development in American history ““ the annexation of Hawaii and the fight by its royalty for ethnic self-determination. For this, it should warrant a view.
Princess Ka’iulani (Q’Orianka Kilcher, “The New World”) is the daughter of the Queen of Hawaii and a British merchant who imposes exile from the island on himself and his daughter upon the arrival of U.S. envoys (Barry Pepper, “Saving Private Ryan,” and Will Patton, “Remember The Titans”) in the late 1880s. Ka’iulani and her father come to the U.K., where it is arranged that the princess will stay with the family of a former colleague in the Hawaiian sugar business.
She hates everything about her new home upon arrival, but eventually falls in love with British culture and a son of her hosts named Clive. In accounting for Ka’iulani’s change of heart, director Marc Forby does not really emphasize any significant passage of time between Ka’iulani’s arrival and her infatuation with Clive.
Clive hides telegraphs from Ka’iulani that tell of the island’s annexation by the Americans during the course of the Spanish-American War. Discovering this, Ka’iulani sets her sights on regaining the sovereignty of her nation.
The princess wines and dines with American politicians, including President Grover Cleveland and the commissioners designated for determining the constitutional fate of the newly annexed territory. Her discourse with the various dignitaries deciding the political fate of the Hawaiian people, as well as that with Clive, does not offer any real engaging moments of wit or heart, whether the relationship be amiable or adversarial.
Forby’s script is quite stuffy and esoteric, too. Yet again, such dialogue might be expected among the VIPs of international politics that are the focus of the film. What is the real disappointment is that Forby does not press for a larger-than-life, visceral interpretation of this dialogue that does justice to Ka’iulani’s charisma or the colonialists’ menace.
The sweeping cinematography and production design, meanwhile, are top-notch for a period piece produced by an independent studio. A vibrant interplay between the people who inhabit the intriguing and stunning environments seen in the film simply isn’t there to round out the story.
Never mind that Pepper and Patton are actors better suited for a battlefield or a football field. Forby, who is also the producer of the film, has a background in producing horror and suspense films (the 2009 adaptation of the Jamie Lee Curtis slasher “Prom Night” was his last project before “Kaiulani”). This is a pretty good first foray into drama and directing considering his culturally noxious background.
The main problem is that “Princess Kaiulani” is a foray into Victorian romance and politics as well. This is subject matter that requires nuanced management of the visual articulation of relationships between the tactics of verbal relationships and the emotional motivations of those relationships. Forby can be given a pass on a judgement of his fundamental ability as a director in this case. Suffice it to say, however, that the best aspects of this movie are the peripheral ones ““ aesthetics and the rendering of a unique moment of history ““ not the core aspects of human action and feeling.
Email Moody at rmoody@media.ucla.edu.